Public domain Without Nikola Tesla, many of the conveniences of modern life wouldn't be possible.

The Serbian-American engineer and physicist had over 300 patents worldwide, and his inventions helped pave the way for alternating current (AC), electric motors, radios, fluorescent lights, lasers, and remote control, among many other things.

But he was also highly eccentric — from his bizarre sleeping and eating habits to his love of pigeons.

Here's a glimpse into the fabulous life of one of history's most fascinating geniuses.

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Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856 in Smiljan in the Austo-Hungarian Empire (modern-day Croatia).

In college, Tesla was first interested in studying physics and mathematics, but he soon became interested in electricity.

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He attended the Realschule, Karlstadt in 1873, the Polytechnic Institute in Graz, Austria and the University of Prague. He took a job as an electrical engineer at a telephone company in Budapest in 1881.

He had the idea for the induction motor while walking in a park with a friend.

Later, while he was in Strasbourg, France in 1883, he built a prototype of the induction motor (an AC motor powered by electromagnetic induction) and tested it successfully. Since he couldn't get anyone in Europe interested in it, Tesla came to the United States to work for Thomas Edison in New York.

Tesla discovered a principle of physics that forms the basis for nearly all devices that use AC power.

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In February 1882, Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field, which he used to construct the AC induction motor and polyphase system for the generation, transmission, distribution and use of electric power.

He fought a 'war' with Thomas Edison over the best form of electrical current.

Thomas Edison
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While he was working in Edison's lab in New Jersey, he began to butt heads with Edison over the best form of electrical current.

Edison favored direct current or DC (which flows in one direction), while Tesla favored alternating current or AC (which changes direction periodically). This led to the "war of the currents," which Tesla would win because of AC's greater efficiency.

He worked closely with industrialist and inventor George Westinghouse, and their partnership helped establish electricity across America.

Tesla wrote a classic paper in which he introduced the concept of his motors and electrical systems called "A New System of Alternating Current Motors and Transformers," in 1888. It caught the attention of industrialist and inventor George Westinghouse, and they ended up partnering up to work on bringing electricity to the rest of the country.

He invented the Tesla coil, a device that is widely used today in radios, TV sets, and other electronics.

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In 1891, Tesla developed an induction coil that produced high-frequency alternating currents, now known as the Tesla coil. He used it in experiments to produce electric lighting, X-rays, and wireless power, and it became the basis of radio and TV Today, the coils are mostly used in educational displays and entertainment.

He patented the basic system of radio in 1896.

The invention of radio is often credited to Guglielmo Marconi, who made the first transatlantic radio transmission in 1901. But Tesla developed patents for the basic elements of a radio transmitter that were later used by Marconi, and which they fought about in court.